It’s Spooktober again, and Halloween is just around the corner! Are your campaigns ready for it?
If you live in the U.S. then you know just how important Halloween is. People create special gatherings and parties to celebrate it, folks from all over the country dress up in colorful or spooky costumes, and children go trick or treating. As with any special event or holiday, all of us tend to spend a bit more on various things during these times and you should try to utilize this as best as possible.
Marketing specifically for holidays is one of the best things marketers can do, as this shows the brand is up to date with the latest events, and it makes the brand feel more connected to the audience.
With Halloween being one of the most popular holidays, it's a great time to drive holiday traffic with eye-catching subject lines and headlines. Whether you're a marketer that's been planning for weeks or just now getting started, this post will show you the best ways to increase your traffic from Halloween-themed promotions.
Why Email Is So Important
Halloween is a great opportunity for online marketers who want to increase their revenue. It's one of those times of the year when people are more open to receiving marketing messages than at other times. 60% of adults say they enjoy getting Halloween-related emails and 38% said they "get excited" about them, according to the results of a survey conducted in 2019.
Because many retailers offer sales around Halloween, there's usually an influx of people looking for products to use as part of their costumes or decorations during the holiday. More than half (54%) of US adults surveyed said that they expect to buy something to celebrate Halloween.
The day itself has even become an important online shopping day. A research report found that more than half (57%) of internet users visited a retailer's website or shopped in-store for Halloween items in 2020, and 39% purchased Halloween items online in 2020. Halloween ranked as the third top-grossing event for retailers after Valentine's Day and the undisputed champion Christmas, with a total of $6.9 billion spent on costumes, candy, pumpkins, greeting cards, and more.
Email marketing is a great way to get in contact with your customers over the Halloween period. It's relatively cheap to set up, and it allows you to create targeted campaigns that can help boost sales!
Types Of Emails You Should Send
There are many different types of emails that you can send that will either promote seasonal products or help you to get in contact with your customers.
- Welcome Email
As the name suggests, this email is sent to welcome a customer into an eCommerce store that they have never shopped from before. This may be due to them signing up for newsletters and promotions via website popups, or it could be because they purchased from you years ago and haven't purchased since. Either way, this is a great time to remind them about your products and offers so they can buy something new for Halloween! - Product-Related Emails
If you sell seasonal products, such as costumes and decorations, then emailing customers who have purchased these products in the past will be a great way to get them re-engaged. - Product Upsell
If you offer products that are related to seasonal products, it might be a good idea to email your customers with offers on these. For example, if you sell wigs for costumes, then you could send out an email offering different types of makeup and artificial nails that your customers can use with their wigs. - Review Emails
If you have products that are suitable for Halloween, it would be a good idea to send out review emails to past or existing customers. This is especially important if you offer products at different price points, as high-quality costumes tend to be more expensive than other seasonal clothing items. By sending a review email, you're allowing your customers to leave feedback on how your product held up. - Thank You For Visiting Emails
If you have a store that offers products suitable for Halloween, it's important to thank them for visiting you. So when they've been browsing in the past couple of days, send them an email thanking them for shopping with you, and let them know about any offers you have available.
Important Things To Keep In Mind
When it comes to promoting traffic on Halloween the first thing most marketers think of is "horror themes." This is likely because most marketers and affiliates alike think it's a great opportunity to cash in on the "scariest night of the year," but end up sending out emails that don't generate any leads or sales.
The biggest tip for avoiding this mistake is to not copy everyone else. It's tough when you see site after site, blog after blog, and tweet after tweet promoting the same topic, but do not fall victim to sending out something that's been done before.
A great tip is to send your emails during times where you don’t have competition. The best time to send traffic is late at night (specific times will vary by affiliate program). Because most affiliates are sending their promotions during the "prime time" of 6 pm - 10 pm, that means there's less competition for clicks. So if you can get your promotional emails out in the middle of the night, you'll get a much better response.
Things You Should Avoid
When running these promotions, you should know that not everything you do will be a great decision. You need to know that there are some things that you should try to avoid, and here are some of the most common mistakes we see!
Avoid Emails Where You Promote Horrific Scenes or Incidents
If you're promoting anything that looks like it could be straight out of a horror movie, you probably don't want to send it on a nightly basis. Even though your promotion might not have anything scary about it, the subject line would give that impression and you'll end up with a lot of unsubscribes from parents filtering their children's emails.
Avoid Promoting Too Early
Halloween is a holiday for children and young adults, so it's easy to forget that the night of October 31st is a school night for most kids. This means they'll be going to bed early and filtering out emails from "scary" sites or anything their parents wouldn't approve of them being sent while they're trying to sleep.
Don't Neglect Your Other Affiliate Programs
It's easy to think about Halloween when you're building your promotions, but don't forget that it is a holiday and there will likely be a lot of traffic from other holidays that could use some promotional emails too. If you find yourself running out of ideas around October 31st, start promoting for something else and you'll generate some extra commissions.
Don't Send Emails That Aren't Relevant to the Holiday
This seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how many affiliates go all out for Halloween promotions regardless of whether it's appropriate or not. Not only does this turn away customers, but it makes you look like an amateur (or worse).
Don't Send Emails That Aren't Well-Written and/or Designed
Even if you're not a writer or graphic designer, that doesn't mean your email promotions can look like they were thrown together at the last minute. If your promotion is boring and poorly written it's going to be a waste of effort. Spend some time writing subject lines and designing emails so they stand out from the crowd!
What You Should Know About Subject Lines
A bad subject line can turn people off from clicking through to read any further. A bad headline can make someone not want to open your email at all. And poorly written or an unoriginal copy can bore your readers, who might think they've already read what you have to say.
Some Halloween-related terms have become commonplace in the English language, including "trick or treat," "grim reaper," and "haunted house." You can use these terms in your subject lines to get people interested. For example, you could write a subject line like this:
"The spookiest deals of the year are here… only for today!"
This subject line is short and to the point. It gives a clear sales pitch and uses Halloween-related words.
So What Are Some Of The Best Headlines You Should Consider?
Copying exact headlines won’t get you far, but if you get a feeling for what makes a great headline and what doesn’t, you can create your spin on one of these and create something that truly works wonders for your campaigns!
Here are some examples of what great headlines look like!
- Treat Yourself This Halloween With Our Spooktacular Offers!
- It's The Scariest Time Of The Year! Get In On Our Halloween Sale Now
- Our Monsters Are Restless- Shop Now For Huge Discounts!
- Check Out Our Bats, Ghosts, And More! Everything Is On Sale Now!
- Trick & Treat Your Way To A Bargain This Halloween…
- Get These Spooky Deals Before They Ghost!
- A Frightfully Good Deal!
- WATCH OUT! It’s Behind You!
- Forget Monsters... Beware of Missing this Halloween Sale!
- Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Open Your Email…
- Fang-Tastic Halloween Savings
- Get A Spooktacular Deal!
Get inspired by some of those and create your version that best applies to your business!
Conclusion
Halloween is a great excuse to get creative with your promotional emails! While it might seem like an opportunity to just throw together any old messages, it pays to spend some time thinking about what makes something effective. Your promotions will be more relevant and interesting which will ultimately lead to more conversions.
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